Nut hulling and shelling machine having expanded metal cooperating members



May 25, 1954 J HARRISON 2,679,273

J. NUT HULLING AND SHELLING MACHINE HAVING EXPANDED METAL COOPERATING MEMBER Filed Sept. 18, 1951 2 Sheets-Sheet l fi m 4/ 4 .l

. JZIIIVENTOR.

{I M BY J. J. HARRISON May 25, 1954 AND SHELLING MACHINE HAVING L COOPERATING MEMBER 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 NUT HULLING EXPANDED META Filed Sept. 18 1951 INVENTOR.

Patented May 25, 1954 OFFICE NUT HULLING AND SHELLING MACHINE HAVING EXPANDED METAL COOPER- ATING MEMBERS James J. Harrison, Walnut Creek, Calif. Application September 18, 1951, Serial No. 247,171

4 Claims.

This invention relates to improvements in walnut hulling machines, and particularly to a machine, which by slight adjustment can be used selectively for hulling walnuts and thereafter shelling the walnuts.

With this invention Walnuts can be hulled very rapidly and efiiciently, discarding the hulls and delivering clean walnuts when the machine is adjusted to hulling position, and when adjusted to shelling position the hulled walnuts will be cracked into relatively small sections, freeing the majority of the kernels as halves, with some broken kernels, it being merely necessary thereafter to separate the broken shells from the kernels and which can be carried out by hand or by any of the known means such as by floating or by air currents.

The objects and advantages of the invention are as follows:

First, to provide a single machine, which through mere adjustment can be used selectively for hulling and for shelling walnuts and the like.

Second, to provide a machine as outlined in which two relatively fiat coaxial cones are used and mounted on a vertical axis, with the upper cone maintained against rotation and the lower cone rotatably driven.

Third, to provide a machine as outlined in which the lower cone is formed to an angle of approximately 7 degrees relative to the base, and with an angle of convergence from the apices 0r axis to the base of approximately 7 /2 degrees between the upper and lower cones, and conforming from the apices to the periphery to the average variation in diameters of unhulled and hulled walnuts, when the machine is adjusted to hulling position.

Fourth, to provide a machine as outlined in which the upper cone is resiliently relieved in the event of entrance of hard foreign objects or oversize nuts.

Fifth, to provide a peripheral trough for receiving the hulled nuts, and provide projecting Wire brushes on the periphery of the lower cone for advancing the nuts to discharge and for final cleaning of the hulled nuts.

Sixth, to form the cones of diamond mesh heavy expanded metal with engaging edges at all joints to cut and force the hulls from the nuts with the hulls passing through the mesh in the lower "one to deliver hulled nuts only to the trough.

Seventh, to provide self locking adjusting means for the upper cone for converting the machine respectively for hulling and shelling,

'2 and with the adjusting means maintaining the resilient tension for the upper cone irrespective of the degree of adjustment.

Eighth, to provide a machine as outlined which is simple to operate and economical to manufacture.

.In describing the invention reference will be had to the accompanying drawings, in which:

Fig. 1 is a top plan View of the invention.

Fig. 2 is a side elevation with portions broken away and parts shown in section to illustrate the interior structures.

Fig. 3 is an enlarged top plan view of the diamond mesh expanded metal preferred for forming the cones.

Fig. 4 is a section taken on line 4-4 of Fig. 3.

Fig. 5 is an enlarged fragmentary elevational view showing the mounting for the lower cone in section.

Fig. 6 is an enlarged sectional side elevation through the upper cone adjusting means for converting the machine at will for hulling or shelling and including the resilient relieving means for the upper cone.

Fig. 7 is a top plan View of Fig. 6.

Fig. 8 is a diagrammatic view showing the angularity of the cones and the convergence toward the periphery between the cones and the purpose thereof.

The frame I!) may be of any suitable form or structure and is illustrated as being formed of structural shapes and including legs! I top members i2, gussets [3 at each corner of the top, tie members l4 and struts l5.

The upper cone I 6 is formed to an angle of approximately 15 degrees to its base and must not be less than 10 or more than 20 degrees to prevent respectively too slow or too fast travel of the nuts to the periphery 11; an angle of 15 degrees proving the most efficient in providing clean nuts and preventing the piling up of nuts between the cones.

This upper cone has an axial opening [8 through which the unhulled nuts are fed from the hopper l9 to which it is attached as indicated at 29. A solid metal ring 2| is welded or otherwise fixed to the periphery of the diamond mesh expanded metal cone 22, and this ring has a plurality of radial arms 23 by which the upper cone is maintained against rotation and through which the cone is resiliently relieved to compensate for foreign objects or over-size nuts.

The mounting means for the cone consists of a plurality of adjusting and pressure-relieving means, each comprising a post 24 which is relatively free in an opening 25 formed in the arm 23, and which post has an integral collar 26 on which the arm rests, the lower extension 21 below the collar being threaded into the gusset I3 as shown. A hub 28 is welded onto the underside of the gusset for greater thread area and stability.

A washer 29 is seated on the arm 23 and the compression spring 35 is seated on this collar. A head washer 3| is seated on top of this spring and secured under tension by a pair of halfwashers 32 which engage in an annular recess 33 formed in the upper portion of the post and are locked in place within the axial counterbore 34 formed in the top of the washer.

The adjusting and locking means consists of a wrench head 35 which may be removable as shown in Figs. 1 and 2, being applied over a noncircular head as shown, or, as illustrated in Figs. 6 and '7, may be fixed on a cylindrical end by a pin 36 or other suitable securing means, this wrench head having a handle 31 which is hinged to the wrench head at 38. This handle is normally suspended as shown and engages projections or shoulders 39 on the arm or the mesh of the cone for locking the post in adjusted position.

The lower cone 4B is formed of the same material as the upper cone and is approximately the same diameter and also has a solid metal ring 4| fixed about the periphery, and this ring also has one or more radial extensions as indicated at 42, a wire bristle brush 43 being mounted on each arm.

This lower cone is mounted on a spider consisting of a head 44 to which the central portion of the cone is fixed as by welding indicated at 45, a hub 45, and radial arms 41 the terminal ends of which are fixed to the metal peripheral ring 4|, and the hub 45 has an axial bore 48 in which the upper end of the pivot shaft 49 is fixed as indicated at 50.

The upper cone is preferably formed to an angle of 15 degrees relative to the base, while the lower cone is formed to an angle of 7% deg-rees, with a radially convergent included angle of 7 degrees, these angles being found most eflicient for rapid and thorough cleaning of the nuts. The limits for efficient and clean hulling are 20 to degrees for the upper cone, and 10 to 5 degrees for the lower cone. Above the limits, the nuts feed through too fast resulting in poor cleaning, while below the limits the feed is too slow with thorough cleaning accompanied by some marring of the shells. The included angle must not be less than 5 or more than 10 degrees.

A circular trough 52 has its inner wall 53 located under the peripheral ring 4| on the lower cone, with the outer wall 54 extending upwardly to a level with the ring H on the upper cone to catch the nuts discharged from the peripheries of the cones, the bottom 55 being formed of the same material as that of the cones.

The trough is suitably supported by the frame and has an outlet 56 at one point which opens into a sloping trough or discharge chute 51 as indicated at 5B.

The pivot shaft 49 is mounted in a bearing 59 which is suitably supported by the frame as by a channel section 60 fixed at opposite ends to the inside walls of the trough or may be otherwise fixedly supported, the lower end of the shaft being supported in a step bearing 6|.

The driving means may be of any suitable form, that shown consisting of a bevel gear 62 fixed on the shaft 49, a meshing pinion 63 on a reduction gear shaft of a motor 64, the integral reduction gear being indicated at 65.

Located under the hullingunit is a hopper 66 the walls 61 of which are fixed to the frame, the bottom 68 sloping from one side to the other and terminating in a discharge chute 69.

For hulling nuts the upper cone is adjusted to a position where the largest nuts after hulling just pass between the peripheral rings on the cones. This adjustment is made by grasping the handles 31, swinging them up in line with the wrench head and rotating the post, and when the desired adjustment is attained, just dropping the handle which will engage the arm or in the mesh of the upper cone, locking the adjusted position of the post and upper cone. It will be noted that the tension of the spring is not affected by the adjustment.

When the adjustment has been completed, the motor 64 is cut in circuit to drive the lower cone at a speed of about 30 R. P. M., and the unhulled walnuts are fed into the hopper I!) from which they freely enter the space between the cones.

As indicated at 1B, the spacing at the inlet of the cone is great enough to admit the largest unhulled walnuts or the like. The lower cone is being rotated while the nut is being moved around and outwardly, there being a continuous change of hull destruction, the normal direction of rotation of the lower cone being indicated at H with the engaging edges 12 acting on the hull, the upper cone being stationary. As the nut is carried around it rides over the top surface of the lower cone while being acted upon by the underface of the upper cone in the direction of the arrow 13, radually changing to a lengthwise slice as the nut travels in the direction 74, thence to a crushing action in the direction of the arrow 15, and then in the opposite lengthwise direction indicated by the arrow 15, in Figs. 3 and 4.

The maximum size of opening for the largest nuts is about 1 by inch. This passes the hull fragments through to the hopper 66 which discharges through the chute 69. As the hull becomes completely removed, the nut has worked out to the periphery and drops into the trough 52 along with any hull fragments which have worked out to the periphery. The wire brush 43 is carried by the rotating cone and brushes the hulled nuts toward the discharge 55 while the remaining hull fragments drop down into the same hopper 66. Thus the nuts are hulled and cleaned and completely separated from the hull fragments.

For shelling wahiuts and the like, the upper cone is adjusted down to where the smaller hulled nuts cannot be passed between the peripheral rings on the cones, so that the shells will be crushed as they work from the hopper discharge to the periphery, any loose fragments of shells or kernels droppin through the passages in the lower cone, with the nuts devoid of outer shell passing into the trough and thence being advanced to the chute 56 by the brush 43, while fragments of kernels and shells drop into the hopper E8 and slide out through the chute 69. For shelling the nuts it is advisable to place circular segments of smooth sheet metal at the bottom of the trough as indicated at T! to provide a smooth surface for the kernels to ride over as they are advanced to the outlet.

As will be noted, this machine does not separate the kernels from the shells and inside shell structures, and which separation can be carried out by hand sorting or by other known means.

This machine is of special importance because of its capability of hullin English walnuts as early as two weeks before the hulls begin to crack open, in other words, while the nuts are still green. This hullin of green nuts is possible because of the continuously variable action of rolling, crushing, cutting, scraping, with simultaneous slow travel toward the periphery as the hull gradually is reduced in size and removed in portions which are shed through the screen as removed, and for hulling of these green nuts, the diamond mesh with upset joint is peculiarly fitted. Obviously, these clean bright nuts obtained from the still green hulls command a far better price and market than those produced from nuts in which the hull has ripened and started to split open, and therein lies the most outstanding advantage in this machine.

I claim:

1. A nut hulling machine comprising a frame,

an upper cone formed to an angle of approximately degrees to its base and formed of expanded metal lath and having an axial inlet, and a hopper for said inlet, adjusting means for said upper cone comprising a plurality of equally spaced posts threadedly ajustable in said frame about said cone and each having a collar intermediate its length, a radial arm for each post and projecting from the periphery of said upper cone and having a passage slidable on the post with said arm normally resting on said collar, a spring seat provided at the upper end of said post, a compression spring cooperating between. said arm and said spring seat for securing said spring under predetermined tension, and adjusting means for adjusting said post in said frame while maintaining the predetermined tension of said spring, a lower cone coaxial with said upper cone and formed to an angle of approximately 7 degrees to its base and formed of expanded metal lath, said expanded metal lath having opposed hull engaging and stripping elements on their adjacent faces for removing the hulls from the nuts and being spaced to admit unhulled nuts at the inlet and pass only hulled nuts at the peripheries, with the greater portion of the hulls passing through the openings in the expanded metal lath, an axial shaft fixed to said lower cone and bearings for said shaft, driving means for said shaft; said cones being substantially of equal diameters.

2. A structure as defined in claim 1; a trough surrounding said cones and supported by said frame in receiving relation to the periphery of said lower cone and having an outlet, the bottom of said trough being formed of diamond mesh expanded metal lath with the juncture areas of the metal being turned out from the normal face of the mesh to provide said hull engaging and stripping elements, and an arm projecting from the periphery of said lower cone and carrying a bristle brush operating in said trough for final cleaning and for advancing the hulled nuts to said outlet with said metal lath retarding travel and causing turning of the nuts for efficient cleaning by said brush and with the remaining hull fragments being brushed through the openings in the metal lath for complete segregation of the nuts from the hulls.

3. A walnut hulling machine comprising a frame having a. top, upper and lower bearings mounted centrally of said frame on a vertical axis, a shaft rotatable in said bearings, and power means for driving said shaft, a lower cone formed of expanded metal lath and at an angle of approximately 7 /2 degrees to its base and axially fixed to the upper end of said shaft, an inclined hopper terminating in a hull discharge chute and located beneath said lower cone to receive hull fragments, a plurality of equi-angularly spaced posts having threaded lower ends and threaded into said top of said frame in spaced relation to the periphery of said lower cone and each having a collar adjacent to the threaded portion, an upper cone axially positioned relative to said lower cone and formed of expanded metal lath at an angle of approximately 15 degrees to its base and having projecting arms having passages slidable on said posts and normally seated on said collars, a second collar removably fixed on the upper end of each post, and a compression spring for each post and cooperating between said arms and said second collars, manually operable means for adjusting said posts in said top, a hopper for feeding walnuts to the space between said cones, a circular trough in receiving relation to the periphery of said lower cone and having a bottom formed of expanded metal lath and including a hulled nut discharge chute, and a wire bristle brush depending into said trough and carried by said lower cone for final cleaning of the walnuts .and their advance to said hulled nut discharge chute, with remaining hull portions being discarded through said bottom into said hull discharge chute, said expanded metal lath having facial projections to create cutting action in all directions on the hull as the walnut is rolled therebetween, coupled with the specific angularity of the cones, for efliciently and quickly cleaning the hull from the nut.

4. A nut hulling and shelling machine comprising two spaced relatively flat coaxial cones including an upper cone and a lower cone, and mounted on a vertical axis, said upper cone having an axial inlet for the nuts, said cones having angles relative to their bases of substantially 15 degrees for the upper cone and substantially 7 /2 degrees for the lower cone, with the included angle between the cones substantially 7 /2 degrees for relatively slow advance of the nuts from the axial inlet to the peripheral discharge for eflicient removal of the hulls from the nuts, said upper cone being fixed against rotative movement, and means for rotatably driving the lower cone, said cones being convergent from the axis to the peripheries, said cones being formed of expanded metal lath having resiliency and having a multiplicity of engaging elements on their adjacent faces for hulling and shelling operations on the nuts, said angular limits, rela tive flatness of the cones, and resiliency resulting in delivery of clean, undamaged, hulled nuts, or clean, relatively unbroken kernels of shelled nuts.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 297,382 Golding Apr. 22, 1884 1,637,128 Chappell Aug. 27, 1912 1,294,852 Vaughn Feb. 18, 1919 1,335,465 Sparks May 30, 1920 1,574,138 Vaughan Feb. 23, 1926 1,688,966 Hill Oct. 23, 1928 1,821,062 Ryerson June 30, 1931 2,031,810 Anderson Feb. 25, 1936 2,129,679 Dragon Sept. 13, 1938 2,176,892 Dotzer Oct. 24, 1939 

